Whale watching and Island exploring

My recent visit to Harris and news from Sam of her introduction to the joys of sailing reminded me of my own Island sailing adventure with friends back in the 1990s. I joined the crew for the second week of a family holiday.
Our first adventure was to the island of Rona in search of a cave chapel. At one time when the island was still inhabited this Cave had been used as a Chapel during the summer. Well we found it and had a little service in it. There was seating for about 8 people and a rock with a hollow which could have been a font.
Sailing from Skye to Harris we were accompanied by a Minkie whale. For about 10 minutes it dived around us always diving again just as one caught up with the camera and reappearing on the other side of the boat! We visited Tarbert and Rhodel and then navigated round Harris to Tarransay.

This was a beautiful day -for paddling and bathing, wondering across the island among the sheep or climbing the hill to fish in the Loch! This was before the BBC invaded this quiet Island, which was inhabited only by sheep and a few cattle.
We sailed homeward round Harris and the south side of Skye finding a small anchorage below the Cuillins, which were visible for once on that calm evening.

Blackhouses and Harris Tweed

Well we enjoyed our Lewis adventure! I'm glad we took the car. The original idea was to use our free bus pass which would indeed meet the Ferry but we would arrive at 8pm on Saturday-not a good idea without a car! Our destination was 20 miles or so south-no bus at that time of night (and no buses at all on the Sabbath).
Our cottage was part of a scattered hamlet with a view over the sea-loch and very comfortable and well equipped. I had been told that there were two churches about 4 miles away -one Free Kirk with a Gaelic service at midday and English at 6pm and a Church of Scotland- same times but English at midday. Well we found them almost within hailing distance of each other and if we hadn't been told we would have thought we were in the Free Kirk! No music, 2 psalms sung rather waveringly (by me anyway) a lengthy prayer and more lengthy solemn sermon about the serious preparation needed to prepare ourselves for the Holy Communion service next week. Most of the 50 odd congregation wore black and black hats for the ladies.and no-one even the Minister, actually spoke to us as they disappeared in their cars.
We had seen a sign to the Inn at South Loch- good coffee and welcome lunch too!

Another day we went West to see the famous ancient stones of Callernish and visited the Blackhouse village

The ancient monument is very different from Stonehenge; smaller stones of
different composition, and many more
of them in an interesting formation. It was a cloudy sort of day as you can see.

We went on to find the Blackhouse village only one of which seemed to be partly original. We had hoped to visit the 'real' one on view at Arnol but did not find the time. However the village had a museum where we watched an interesting video of the cutting, drying and storing of the peats. We also watched one of the few traditional weavers at work.

We went south to Tarbert and also explored one of the famous Harris beaches on the Atlantic side. It was long and empty of other people though there were the remains of a sand-castle! The sun shone for us and only when we had regained the car did the rain come in.
We enjoyed Stornoway and found people friendly and helpful especially at the garage which replaced brake-shoes on the rear wheel the evening before we were due to leave!
And we also saw a play -'Lord Arthur's Crime'- apparently based on a story by Oscar Wilde and performed by the 'world famous' Stornoway Theatre company.'Just back from a world tour' my neighbour told me- adding that the hero was played by his dentist (or was he an optician?). It was a pleasant evening nonetheless.

Fallas 2008 and travel hitches

Well we got to Valencia- a day late! I had booked my e-ticket through Travel Republic and when we reached the airport we found that the flight time had been changed to that morning. The ticket provider had been informed in good time but failed to let me know. Fortunately we were able to get seats for the next flight but had to pay for them. I am still pursuing the ticket provider for my money back.

Having said that it was good to see Charo again. We had arrived during the annual Fallos festival which seems to be more a traditional spring festival than religious. It's apparently a competition between teams of chaps who build street sculptures which block quite a few streets between March 1st and 19th. The ones judged best are put in a museum amd the rest go up in flames. In between there are fireworks and noise! The picture shows some half built efforts with wood through the centre so they burn well!

They varied from

small large and plastic covered torso, limbs, heads all waiting to be put togeher for the big day!

Visiting Uganda Part 1

On Tuesday November 14 2006 I left home at 3 20am on a cold wet morning. HMC bless her stayed over to get up at 3am and take me to the airport in her camper van. At the last moment I gave in and got myself lumbered with coat, hat, gloves- well it was quite cold at that time of the morning but I was pretty sure I would regret it in the African warmth! (To my surprise I did wear that coat one rainy Sunday in the cool Cathedral. )

I had landed at Schipol by 8.30am or so. I was a little anxious because although my friends had promised he would be there to meet me at Entebbe, I knew it was some way from Kampala, about 22 miles and I only had a PO address and a mobile number. If there was a problem and they were not there what to do? And then one of those 'coincidences' which are Providential happened. In the Departure lounge I found myself next to a clergyman who had a book next to him resting on his briefcase about How to be a successful manager'. Eying his 'dog-collar ' and feeling a bit daring, I leaned over and said 'and a little prayer helps too?’ He laughed and agreed. It seemed he’d been to a conference in Pittsburgh, USA and was on his way home. He was a University Administrator –and did he know the Christian University at Mukone? Yes indeed that is where he worked.- and my friends? Yes of course they are near neighbours! So I could get a lift if necessary.
This was especially reassuring at the airport as I quickly found I could not register my mobile in Africa but I wished I had been able to take the lift and save the journey to the airport.
And there they were with big welcoming smiles, with friends for company on the journey. . The journey seemed lengthy, often slow and bumpy as we went through or round potholes -but more of that later.
I was very glad to reach the end of my journey and the welcome home. They were ready to eat having waited till 11pm or so. I dumped my things in my room and was shown how to deal with mosquito net, and the loo and washing (cold water) and boiled water (for teeth cleaning). My main memory then is sitting on the bed contemplating a tube of anti-mosquito cream and wondering whether one should put it on at night. When phut!- all went dark- the electricity was off and I fumbled for the torch to negotiate my way in under the net – and then get my arm out to put the torch carefully where I could find it for the inevitable walk to the loo!

Joshua is a lively 4 year old; we got on well and where good friends- problem is he natters away to me in Lagandan. (They start learning English at school; I had not realised till I got there that English is not spoken in the family. When I left they said Joshua was understanding much of what I said but not answering yet in English.) This year –2007- he starts School

Faith was born in early August. An old friend Faith (wife of retired Bishop W whom we visited for an overnight stay) accompanied ON in the hospital to help her and the baby was named for her. She is a bonny baby even though she had a upper respiratory infection when I met her. I visited the clinic with ON twice during my stay. One was the health clinic for weighing and vaccination etc; the other a medical follow-up for medicines- all private as state health service is rather limited.

MB and ON are both Anglican Priests. Their home is a bungalow on the University campus which goes with ON’s job as a University Lecturer. They had a water- tank behind their home which fills from the large one at the top of the hill- which is filled from the water lorry which trundles up the hill each day. All drinking water is boiled of course and washing in cold water is no great hardship when the weather is warm. I was there in the rainy season but when the sun warms the pipes outside the water can be quite hot I gather! Electricity is expensive and in short supply and unreliable. Uganda depends on the hydro-electric schemes on the River Nile which has a reduced water flow because of the drought across East Africa. The University itself has a generator-it is a Christian University working with an American University so probably better off than most

The helper washed the clothes by hand which she did most days She lives in a 2 room building, one half her room , the other is a storeroom.

There were 2 long low baskets outside during the day with chicks chirping happily inside and Mum hen sitting atop when not scratching for food. This is to protect them from eagles. . The garden is very productive and includes a pumpkin patch and beans, jack fruit, bananas (staple diet), paw-paw, mangoes, sweet potato. In the evening monkeys swing through the tall trees at the back on their way to a mango tree for the night!

The gardener arrived one day while I was there to plant more young banana trees, using a kind of mattock I think to clear the ground.

Jackfruit was a new item on the menu for me. It is quite large, the size of a large melon, with quite juicy yellow fruit segments about the size of large gooseberries.. Basic meals were always fruit and vegetable ; sweet potato which I find rather hard not as tasty as Irish (our) potato (which I am more used to), and almost always matoke- mashed cooked green banana. Basic survival national dish! The Cathedral Provost stopped to warn me ‘I suppose you know that in heaven there is only one food and that it is matoke ?’ I said quickly ‘Ah no I am afraid you will be disappointed; it is bound to be haggis!’ but I’m not sure he heard me!
Joshua had his 4th birthday party on Nov 25. Many little friends came and all made a very satisfactory din blowing those paper party things, wearing masks and hats. The splendid cake was made by a friend who runs a cake shop or bakes to order. Adult friends and parents were all there too.I was fascinated by the piles of flip=flops and sandals left outside on the front doorstep as people arrived!

Mabel is a niece of ON, 15 years old awaiting O Level results and living in to help in looking after baby Faith and help in the house. This is a great help enabling ON to return to teaching. She can either come home to feed Faith or have her brought to where she is!

I really enjoyed being made so welcome and except that I do not understand Langanda, I felt part of the family. Indeed everyone did seem to be family and when MB introduced me to another brother or sister I was never sure whether was a blood relative, tribal or Christian- or all three! Life is simple, without electricity much of the time, so cooking was on a charcoal stove or open fire, water was on tap but had to be heated in the kettle or pan and we ate produce grown at home. It reminded me of a very simple but happy childhood in very rural Dorset during the 1940's ; lighting was by oil-lamp, water drawn from a deep well and heated on the primus stove or in the copper and we grew our own veg. and kept hens too!

We have so much now -too much- are we any happier?